Car Guys: When to do Radiator Flush?

[mystang52]

My DIY days, for cars, are long in the past. I have a 2018 Audi Q5, 43,000 miles. I had my car in for another routine service, and they "recommend" radiator flush. They didn't say I NEEDED one, just that with my current odometer reading it's a good preventive step.
Maybe I missed it but I can't find anything in my manual about it. My car is running fine. Is there a standard mileage/time I need to get this done? Keep in mind this is an Audi dealership - they want $250 to do the flush.

 

[Nick12]

Can't say for Audi but for Honda Accords there is a sticker underneath the front hood that says coolant change every 10 years . The stealerships will try to recommend coolant flushes every 5 years or 60K miles.

 

[gauss]

[-]Did you check the scheduled maintenance section of your owners manual? This is the fist place that I would look.[/-] Oops -- OP already addressed that.

This document seems to suggest that no change is necessary until the coolant no longer meets the -25 deg C spec.


-gauss

 

[Jerry1]

Yeah, tell them to show you the manufacture recommended change interval. If I wanted to keep my car until the wheels fell off, I would probably change the antifreeze at around five years 50K miles, or at the half way point of the manufacture recommendation. Just to get some fresh product in there. Change is not flush. I would just dump the old and add fresh.

Where your at, around 3yr/44K miles, I think the dealership is trying to take advantage of you.

 

[Car-Guy]

I've seen recommendations all over the map... From 2 to 5 years and/or from 30,000 to 100,000 miles...Absent of your manufactures recommendations and with your current mileage, I'd probably wait for the 5 year mark. I always used the 5 year 100k mile rule of thumb that many recommend but to be honest, 100k seem like a lot of miles to wait for any fluid changes.... YMMV

 

[Midpack]

I've seen recommendations all over the map... From 2 to 5 years and/or from 30,000 to 100,000 miles...Absent of your manufactures recommendations and with your current mileage, I'd probably wait for the 5 year mark. I always used the 5 year 100k mile rule of thumb that many recommend but to be honest, 100k seem like a lot of miles to wait for any fluid changes.... YMMV

+1. I’ve done them at 80K miles just to be safe. Unfortunately every dealer service department I’ve ever dealt with will recommend (way) more than necessary. I do what the manufacturer recommends as standard and no more, their service schedule is plenty conservative. And I do the easy stuff myself, engine and cabin air filters, wipers, etc.

Don’t let your friendly service rep suggest otherwise. Some will claim the dealer services follow “manufacturers recommendation” - but it’s usually a rough duty interval (heavy duty, off-road, etc.) or some exceptional measure they neglect to disclose. I’ve caught them in that lie more than once.

 

[Nick12]

+1. I’ve done them at 80K miles just to be safe. Unfortunately every dealer service department I’ve ever dealt with will recommend (way) more than necessary. I do what the manufacturer recommends as standard and no more, their service schedule is plenty conservative. Don’t let your friendly service rep suggest otherwise. Some will claim the dealer services follow “manufacturers recommendation” - but it’s usually a rough duty interval (heavy duty, off-road, etc.) or some exceptional measure they neglect to disclose. I’ve caught them in that lie more than once.

The kicker is Hondas have a sticker underneath the front hood that recommends changing coolant every 10 years but dealerships try to convince uninformed customers that they recommend earlier intervals to change the coolant. Service centers are in the upsell business.

 

[mountainsoft]

I have NEVER changed my coolant just to change it. However, it usually gets changed as a side effect of other repairs like a leaking hose, cracked fitting, or when replacing the timing belt/water pump (about every 30K).

 

[38Chevy454]

New coolants (say last 10 years or so) have much longer use life than the older style. Any coolant will continue to provide the freeze and boilover protection, that is just the basic glycol-based chemistry. What does get depleted is the anticorrosion additives. New coolants last much longer than in past. But the anitcorossion additives do get used up and there is nothing bad with changing out the coolant and replace with new. So the mfr recommended interval is probably your best guideline, doing sooner will not hurt anything besides your wallet paying the bill.

 

[teetee]

2018 coolant change? I would do it if it is over 100k miles. Since it is under 50k miles, I would ignore the dealership advice.

It is a two hour job for anyone with basic toolset and a pair of ramps/jackstands. Finding and accessing the right colant drain bolt on the engine block can take sometime (if your engine comes with one).

 

[JRon]

Seems a little early to me. 80,000 miles or 8 years - whichever come first should work out just fine.

 

[Car-Guy]

It is a two hour job for anyone with basic toolset and a pair of ramps/jackstands. Finding and accessing the right colant drain bolt on the engine block can take sometime (if your engine comes with one).

Personally, I've always used the drain value near the bottom of radiator.... Of course you could just remove one end of the bottom radiator hose for a drain, if you really wanted or needed to. For me, the valve is usually easy to find and the complete job can be done in about 30 mins.... But that's me...

I understand some manufactures have done away with the radiator drain valve altogether but I haven't run across that yet. I just don't keep new cars long enough to worry about it.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

My 2003 Chevy didn't recommend it until 100,000 miles. Can't see why your car would need it sooner unless there was a problem.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

And STAY OUT OF THE DEALERSHIP!!! Only reason to go there is for warranty work, or if you have pre-paid maintenance.

 

[Car-Guy]

And STAY OUT OF THE DEALERSHIP!!! Only reason to go there is for warranty work, or if you have pre-paid maintenance.

+1 and I don't even go for the "free" oil changes... Sure I spend a few extra dollars, but I save a lot of time, use better oil and filters, ensure the plug and filter are tighten properly and I don't tend to break something else in the process.

 

[freedomatlast]

Personally, I've always used the drain value near the bottom of radiator.... Of course you could just remove one end of the bottom radiator hose for a drain, if you really wanted or needed to. For me, the valve is usually easy to find and the complete job can be done in about 30 mins.... But that's me...

I understand some manufactures have done away with the radiator drain valve altogether but I haven't run across that yet. I just don't keep new cars long enough to worry about it.

I prefer to pull the bottom radiator hose if accessible. You don't get much more than a slow trickle out of the radiator drain valve, so you don't get a lot of the sediment out that way. You get much higher volume of flow out of the bottom radiator hose and therefore much more sediment comes out of the system as well. Also, sometimes the radiator drain valves won't shut off properly after they drain if they get a little grit in them, whereas the hose will seal back up just fine.

 

[qwerty3656]

I'm 58 and I have never flushed a radiator or knowingly paid someone to flush a radiator

 

[Nick12]

And STAY OUT OF THE DEALERSHIP!!! Only reason to go there is for warranty work, or if you have pre-paid maintenance.

I'm lucky that the service writers of the Honda dealership I go to always talk up customers giving them high ratings on the survey that comes on email. Their added bonus compensation depends on it. I just tell them treat me fairly and honestly and I will give you high ratings. One dealer always tried to up sell repairs on me. I left them and went to another dealer which currently services my cars. They have been fair and I give the service writers high ratings. You take care of me, I take care of you. I miss the free bagels, snacks, and coffee at the dealership. Free is free.

 

[Music Lover]

+1 and I don't even go for the "free" oil changes..

I went to my Subaru dealer for oil changes which were free until the warranty ran out. The reason I did was to have proof that the oil changes were done according to manufacturer's specs in case of an engine problem. I also had them print the receipt just in case their computer "lost" the records.

 

[brett]

We keep our cars for a long time. The current one is only 12 years. The previous one was 17 years before it went to our son. Honda and Toyota product.

I have always followed the owners manual maintenance recommendations for fluid replacements. It is written by engineers. I do not always use dealer service but I do keep track of oil, transmission, rad, brake fluid, power steering fluid, etc recommendations. And I make sure the proper fluid is used....especially the correct rad. fluid. We live in the snow belt. Temperature variations can be hard on a vehicle I am told.

Bit of a chore however I believe that it has saved me money and frustration over the years. Never had a major problem or a breakdown.

 

[mystang52]

OP, here. Thanks, everyone. I picked up my car, planned too point-blank ask my Service guy if this flush was needed (and where in the Service guidelines they indicate when to replace). Alas, he was with another customer so someone else got me my car. I'll definitely wait much longer. I did ultimately find a comment in my Owner's Manual that implied the coolant never needs changing, but nothing explicit.

 

[Ian S]

According to this article, https://www.blauparts.com/blog/how-to-flush-audi-coolant-antifreeze.html

For maximum corrosion and prolonged engine life, flushing Audi coolant antifreeze every 4 to 5 years (50,000 - 60,000 miles) is important.

VW-AUDI recommends the latest G13 coolant which is backwards compatible. That stuff is expensive (~$15 per 1.5 L pre-mixed)

When I bought a 1998 Audi A4 new, I had service at the dealer until the warranty ran out. Then I found a good independent service place for most everything beyond oil and filter change. Since I bought my Hyundai Genesis Coupe, I've used the dealer to service everything except wipers. Of course the warranty included 10 yr. 100,000 miles on the drive train. Now that the warranty is over, I've continued to use the dealer as their prices on oil changes are competitive.

I used to do all my own work on cars I've owned including full engine rebuilds when I was a poor student. That stuff was fun when I was young but not so much now that I'm nearly 70.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

My DIY days, for cars, are long in the past. I have a 2018 Audi Q5, 43,000 miles. I had my car in for another routine service, and they "recommend" radiator flush. They didn't say I NEEDED one, just that with my current odometer reading it's a good preventive step.
Maybe I missed it but I can't find anything in my manual about it. My car is running fine. Is there a standard mileage/time I need to get this done? Keep in mind this is an Audi dealership - they want $250 to do the flush.

Most shops recommend just a drain, not a flush.

Further, some shops will say "flush", when they really mean they're just going to do a drain of the radiator.

Myself, I just drain the radiator from time to time. I don't bother with the engine plugs and I don't touch the radiator hoses since they're too hard to get to on my cars.

However, just draining the radiator once only removes about 50-75% of the coolant, depending on the car. So, I do this more frequently than what's recommended in the service manual, thinking that it's good to inject the system with some fresh additives periodically.

So it's important to find out exactly what the shop is doing - are they going to do one simple drain, or multiple drains, or pull the engine plugs, or flush the system, etc.

My Mazda 5 manual recommends every 10 years or 100k miles, but that's based on the factory fluid. I'll start my periodic drains at 75% of that.

[edit] Oh, I should add I don't believe in any lifetime fluids, that never need to be replaced.

 

[brett]

When I occasionally take my car to the dealer for an oil change (because they also do a check), the dealership often recommends fluid changes that are at variance with the owners manual. I stick to the owner's manual unless our mechanic says otherwise.

For our Toyota, our Toyota trained mechanic always insisted on Toyota brand rad fluid and against any of the other popular brands out there. Something to do with corrosion.

 

[latexman]

As far as I can tell from audiusa.com, every 20,000 miles or 2 years, "Cooling system: Check coolant level, add coolant if necessary, and check protection to spec -25°C".

That's all it says.

If the appearance of the coolant changed significantly, I'd drain, flush, and refill it with fresh coolant.